United Way’s Technology Fund helps nonprofits plan their tech future, transform the way they serve

“Because we all live and work here, we’re able to provide the community context in addition to the technology expertise and have a really constructive conversation about how we’re serving and impacting the community,” said Diana Nolting, Technology Fund workgroup member.

Hardware and software upgrades. Cybersecurity improvements.

Cutting down response times. Building better websites to interact with users differently. Bringing in hybrid and remote services to reach people where they are.

Since relaunching in 2020, United Way of Central Indiana’s Technology Fund has awarded over $2.2 million to more than 80 organizations to fund 105 projects across the region. Supported by funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., it’s one of three United Way funds – Technology, Facilities Maintenance and Capital Projects – designed to help organizations with infrastructure needs.

It’s often difficult for nonprofits to get dedicated funding to invest in technology.

“The nonprofit sector deserves to have state-of-the-art, up-to-date technology to assist them in the work they’re doing,” said Gary Woodworth, United Way’s director of infrastructure. “Unfortunately, it’s an area that often gets put down the priority list of an organization.”

The Technology Fund aims to fill that gap. But it’s about more than getting dollars into the hands of nonprofits. The workgroup that reviews applications and approves grants is composed of local technology experts who provide coaching, guidance and high-level consulting feedback to the nonprofits – without the high-level price tag.

And rather than one-time fixes and upgrades, the workgroup helps nonprofits look at their technology needs comprehensively and build a roadmap for the future – to transform the way they serve the community.

“I’m a firm believer that United Way of Central Indiana is our community’s best bet at solving for the biggest issues that our community faces," said Lauren James, former chair of the Technology Fund workgroup and a member of United Way’s Board of Directors.

“What makes United Way so unique as a convener and as a collaborator is that we are able to bring in experts from the community, bring in leaders that can help coach and guide and serve as thought partners to our nonprofit organizations to ensure that they are proactively and strategically and innovatively thinking about serving their constituents in present day and also ensuring that they are well-equipped to continue to do their great work well into the future.”

United Way first started a Technology Fund in 2000 as part of a partnership with Lilly Endowment Inc. In the first decade, the fund awarded about $5 to $6 million in grants, Woodworth said.

After a hiatus, plans were made to relaunch once funding was available in early 2020.

Woodworth and James met in late 2019 to build their dream team, a workgroup of volunteers from the local technology industry: data scientists, tech founders, chief technology officers and chief innovation officers with backgrounds in services, product, hardware, networking, security and marketing.

The fund was ready for its comeback. And then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Because the right people were already in place, Woodworth said, the workgroup was able to pivot and act fast. With money approved by United Way’s board, the Technology Fund was able to meet nonprofits’ immediate pandemic-related technology needs and awarded more than $525,000 in grants to 48 organizations within about two months of the pandemic’s onset.

Without the funding, many organizations would have needed to shift their budgets, taking funding away from other areas to get the technology they needed, Woodworth said.

In the early days of the pandemic, the fund helped nonprofits get technology that allowed for remote work – laptops, mobile devices, access to Wi-Fi – and helped them continue to serve the community virtually with programming and services.

The fund has expanded in the three years since, with some nonprofits receiving funding multiple times.

At Brightlane Learning, technology funds have helped the nonprofit through a period of rapid growth.

For nearly 22 years, Brightlane has helped students affected by homelessness and housing instability with tutoring and academic support while advocating for their families as they navigate the educational system. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of students Brightlane serves has nearly doubled: from about 400 annually to more than 740 this year.

The technology grant gave Brightlane the tools needed to build a new website and e-newsletters as they underwent a major rebranding. The new site is easier for staff to update and more user-friendly, with streamlined content that better directs people to volunteer and donate, said Claire Brosman, Brightlane’s vice president of grants and communications.

Funds also allowed Brightlane to roll out a volunteer module in its Salesforce database. The tool tracks volunteer availability and shifts for specific days and times, among other things, freeing up staff time to focus on volunteer training and support instead of manual data entry.

Nonprofits want to put the money they receive directly back into their programs, so it can be difficult to justify the expense of technology upgrades, Brosman said. The Technology Fund allowed Brightlane to improve its technology without worrying about taking away money from its programs, she said.

“We can just focus on ways to streamline, improve our technology capacity and do our programs better and stronger – which will ultimately improve our programs and our ability to ask for additional program funding from other funders in the future,” Brosman said.

Today, the Technology Fund’s workgroup meets quarterly to award grants, and community organizations accredited with United Way can receive up to $35,000 annually. United Way will fund up to 75% of qualifying projects.

Nonprofits are encouraged to first apply for up to $3,000 for an assessment grant to better understand what their technology needs are and help build a plan for digital transformation down the road.

Members of the workgroup act as extensions of the nonprofits applying for grants, said James, who spent a decade in the technology industry, including at Salesforce and TechPoint. They think through requests just as they would for their own businesses, evaluate quotes and plans, ask questions and ensure organizations are getting the best deals and terms from vendors.

They also bring their personal experiences to the table, too. Workgroup member Diana Nolting’s daughter receives physical therapy services through one of the nonprofits, and Nolting is able to provide a parent’s perspective.

“Because we all live and work here, we’re able to provide the community context in addition to the technology expertise and have a really constructive conversation about how we’re serving and impacting the community,” said Nolting, who works as the vice president of product for Linnworks.

“... It's not just serving one organization and volunteering. It’s allowing us to scale our resources and really bring collaborative knowledge together and see that impact across the whole of the community.”

The Technoloy Fund has helped nonprofits make measurable change over the last three years, she said, and continued funding is critical.

Said Nolting: “... We need to make sure (community organizations) have the opportunity to continue those plans so they can continue to really scale out in an exponential way who they’re able to serve and how they’re able to serve at the pace of technology, which is not slowing down at all.”

This story appeared in United Way of Central Indiana’s 2022-2023 annual report. For more stories of impact, view the full report online.